He did it in style Sunday during the Texans’ season opener. The Texans beat the Dolphins 30-10.

Watt tipped two passes that led to interceptions and had half a sack of Tannehill. After missing the preseason while recovering from a dislocated elbow, Watt showed no signs that elbow bothered him.

Instead, the second-year player continued to be the burgeoning star the Texans saw in last season’s playoffs.

“J.J. does that every day in practice,” defensive end Antonio Smith said. “That’s something that Bill (Kollar, defensive line coach) teaches. It doesn’t happen by accident. It ain’t him just randomly throwing his hands up; there’s technique that Bill coaches.”

Watt joked it wasn’t football practice at all, but his volleyball skills that helped him learn how to do that.

The reality is, as he’s grown in the game, he’s learned how to take advantage of his long arms.

“Once you start to understand the quarterback’s rhythm, you see his eyes, you understand his arm motion, you can start to figure out when he’s going to throw it,” Watt said. “And you know when you’re stuffed, as a pass rusher, it happens; sometimes you get stuck. You throw your hands up, try to do anything you can to make a play. And that’s when you have success.”

Watt played with a brace on his left elbow, but he said he didn’t even notice it during the game.

It took a little bit of time for the Texans to get to Tannehill, but things unraveled for the young quarterback at the end of the first half. Both interceptions Watt forced were in the final two minutes of the half and led to Texans scores.

The sack, which Watt and Smith split, set Tannehill back eight yards. It came on the Dolphins’ only offensive possession of the third quarter and the Dolphins went three-and-out.

By the end of the third quarter, Tannehill’s passer rating was 31.4.

“He’s at it again, man!” Texans tight end Owen Daniels said. “You love to see it. I was telling this earlier after the game, it’s so demoralizing from an offensive perspective. … He’s tipping the ball, not tipping it down. He’s putting it up in the air for the other guys to have a chance to make a play on it.”

During the 2011 playoffs, Watt tied for the team lead with 3.5 sacks, including 2.5 in the Texans’ AFC divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens. In their first-round game, Watt might have begun his legend. He intercepted a pass in the second quarter of the Texans’ wild-card win over the Cincinnati Bengals and returned it for a touchdown.

Watt said last week he wanted to be better this year than he was in the playoffs – impressive as that might have been.

“J.J. is getting to the point where he’s getting special,” Texans linebacker Bradie James said. “That is what he was doing in training camp before he got injured.”